As I said above, if someone is walking down the street with a $100 in his pocket and he is mugged, you can't say it's his fault.
But if someone walks down the street with their entire life savings in cash in a paper bag, they bear a little culpability for the aftermath.
And when people invest in a company, and the management lies to them, cooks the books, and robs them of their retirement investment that they worked years and years for, that's the peoples fault too, and they shouldn't whine and cry about it, right?
They are no different from any other investor in the company. I didn't invest my entire life savings in Enron. If they chose to do so, that was their own foolish decision.
Had they invested responsibly, they would have been like me - a couple of grand out of pocket on Enron stock. Not back at square one.
In fact, I have more reason to complain since I paid for all my Enron shares at market prices, while they got half their shares for free and the other half at a discount to the market price.
But I won't see a red cent and I chalk it up to experience. You know, the way a grown-up does.
I'm looking at the results of the theft, of the devastation it caused on thousands and thousands of lives
What "devastation" is that exactly? Losing a job? Plenty of people lose jobs every day.
Losing retirement money? Intelligent people don't put all their eggs in one basket. If you deliberately make yourself a sitting duck, you are the one who ruined your life, not some scapegoat.
Honestly, have a little pride and self-respect.
And if the victim has a weak heart, and suffers a stroke or heart attack as a result of the trauma of the theft, what does that do to all of your $100 vs. $100,000 arguments? You're playing "blame the victim" games, I'm talking about the results of the muggers actions. If a victim dies during a crime, the criminal is sentenced according to the results of his actions. It's not about his "intentions", and not about whether the victim should or should not have been carrying $100,000 with him, or should or should not have been walking down the street at midnight. In any case, it's not for you or the CEOs to decide what the victims should or should not have done.
They are no different from any other investor in the company. I didn't invest my entire life savings in Enron. If they chose to do so, that was their own foolish decision.
Ya, "blame the victim", version two (yawn). Those foolish retiree/investors probably thought that the company was being run by a competent and honest CEO, and not by crooks who were deliberately lying and stealing from them. I guess that was pretty foolish of them.
Had they invested responsibly, they would have been like me - a couple of grand out of pocket on Enron stock. Not back at square one.
Ya, blame the victim, version three (yawn). Who says they have to be back a square one? For a 65 or 70 year old, losing even 20% of a fixed retirement income can be devastating, particularly when it was stolen from them!
In fact, I have more reason to complain since I paid for all my Enron shares at market prices,
Oh, so you're the real victim here. I see.
while they got half their shares for free and the other half at a discount to the market price.
Dude, what the hell are you talking about? Do you even know?
But I won't see a red cent and I chalk it up to experience. You know, the way a grown-up does.
Ya ya, I know, you have a real big penis. Spare me the yardstick games and your particular little definition of what a "grown-up" is. Tell the 65 and 70 year olds about how you are so much more "grown-up" than they are.
What "devastation" is that exactly? Losing a job? Plenty of people lose jobs every day.
The "devastation" of loosing a large chuck of your retirement nest-egg, at age 65, because some crooked multi-millionair CEO wanted to add another few million to his own purse by lying and cheating and stealing. Maybe some elderly people can't just pick right up and get another job to make up for the years of saving that were stolen from them. Or maybe that part just didn't figure into your cavalier reckoning.
Intelligent people don't put all their eggs in one basket. If you deliberately make yourself a sitting duck, you are the one who ruined your life.
Blame the victim, version four (yawn).
..not some scapegoat.
Oh, so now the CEOs are scapegoats? I guess that means that they are the real victims here, huh (along with you)? If your statements were not so callous and pathetic, they would be laughable.
Honestly, have a little pride and self-respect.
Again, dude, what the hell are you talking about? I didn't loose a dime on Enron, so you are not talking to me. I'm talking about the massive devastation that was knowingly and intentionally caused to thousands of innocent people by a group of corrupt and greedy millionaires. All I've heard from you so far is "blame the victim", "suck it up", "get another job", "they should have known better", and "oh, those poor CEOs". "Pride and self-respect"? Maybe you should look those words up in the dictionary before you recommend that someone else get something that you don't seem to either have or understand.